The Scholarship
by Rhoynar
Summary: Harrison Haddock needs this scholarship. It's his only ticket out of an abusive home. His only problem is he's not the only one gunning for it. He has two opponents, Steven Jorgenson, and Astrid Hofferson (Modern AU, warnings include language, abuse, domestic violence) P.S. I'm really shitty at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

It grated on her nerves when someone in the lower hierarchy of 'coolness' had the audacity to even look at her, let alone speak to her. So when she rounded a corner at her school and ran into a tall, lanky teen with emerald eyes, she was less than happy.

"Watch it, dweeb" she snarled

The boy looked taken aback for a second before glaring at her and saying "Fuck you" before trudging past her, heading the way she came

Wait, hold up. This can't happen, he can't tell her to fuck off. She was Astrid Hofferson for Christ's sake. Nerds and Geeks like him didn't get to talk to her, they should cower in absolute fear and beg for her forgiveness, shouldn't they? This was the first time something like this had happened, no other nerd had ever stood up to her like that, hell, no one had ever swore at her like that. There was no way this useless, lanky fucker would get away with this. But in the short time she took to ponder he had disappeared from sight. He plagued her mind for the rest of her school day, which wasn't exactly long considering she was headed to her final class for the day, AP English. She tried to focus in class, but the cold indifference which he had shrug her off with before glaring at her and swearing at her caused a certain unease to develop.

This kid didn't even know her, and he was speaking down to her. No, this can't be happening, this can no longer be allowed to continue. The next time she saw him he would be dead meat. She would beat him into a pulp until he divulged why he had been so rude, didn't he know she was the star of the lacrosse team, and the most popular girl in school? Who was he to speak to her like that? She didn't even know him, he was likely a junior or something. She was a senior, this was her final year of schooling and they had just passed Christmas, which means school is about to come to an end and college is looming around the corner. She was excited and nervous about college prospects, her parents expected the best, which was why she was taking AP classes. She would soon send out applications for universities. Her parents wanted her to go to the prestigious local college, simply called "Berk". But if she were to be completely honest with herself, she wanted to get as far away from this miserable town as she could.

She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of the bell signalling the end of class.

The entire class went to stand before the teacher said "Did I say you could be excused?"

The disgruntled class lowered back into their seats, looking dejected.

As soon as the class was still and quiet the teacher continued "You may leave"

The class was suddenly engrossed in a flurry of sound and movement as chairs scared along the hard floor from eager students awaiting their freedom.

"Miss Hofferson" said her AP English teacher, Miss Browne "May I have a word?"

"Sure" Astrid replied

"Come, sit down" she gesture to the chair opposite her desk "First off I want to congratulate you, your most recent assessment was flawless, I had no choice but to grant you an A+. Secondly, I am disappointed"

Astrid felt stunned, what had she done? "Excuse me?" she said politely

"Your performance in AP Mathematics and AP Physics was less than endearing. Your parents asked me to speak with you about it"

"What do you mean, I scored high in those tests"

"Apparently not, Astird if you want to attend a college such as Berk you need to do better than a 91% average for your maths and physics class"

"But 91% is still a good score" she protested

"Astrid, you're not hearing me. 91% is not enough. I'm assigning you a tutor, a boy named Harris-"

"I don't need a tutor" she protested further "I'm doing fine as it is, plus with the scholarship coming up I should easily get into Berk without any issues" In truth she didn't want to get into Berk, but if it looked like she didn't want it, Miss Browne would surely relay that information to her parents, and that was a discussion she did not wish to have.

Miss Browne's lips formed a tight line "Well, I'm still assigning the tutor. Even if you do get the scholarship it will help to have higher marks. Berk doesn't accept candidates lightly"

She nodded "I know, I'll try"

"That is all, Astrid. You may go" Astird hurriedly left the room. She needed to haul ass to the gymnasium. Today is the day when the shortlist for the sporting scholarship to Berk was announced, and she was 100% sure she would be on that list. All of the 40 eligible candidates were told to show with their guardians. Then they would announce the three shortlisted participants. Two months later scouts from Berk would come and view the three in their respective fields and decide on who gets the scholarship. Astrid was pretty positive she had it in the bag. So, with her head held high she walked into the gymnasium entrance. The Berk High School's gymnasium was fairly simple. I multipurpose court was in the centre, and elevated seating ran along the two long edges of the court. She caught a glimpse of her parents and made her way towards them.

She quickly climbed the steps two at a time to join her parents, they had left a seat for her.

"Hello dear" said her mother politely. Her polite tone didn't match the cold expression on her face. It was clear she was not happy upon learning that her daughter had only been receiving a 91% for two of her most important classes.

"Mother" she replied, taking a seat next to her. Her father didn't even look at her, he was looking pointedly at the small stage set up in the middle of the court. A man in an immaculate suit stood between two large speakers and was holding a microphone. Astrid recognised him as the Principle, Mr Hendrick.

She eyed the crowd, it seemed that everyone had turned up, and that's when she saw him, the foul mouthed kid. He sat across the other side of the court, on the opposing stands. He sat with his back hunched and his jaw clenched, it looked as if he were trying to sink into his chair. She would corner him after this was done, what was he even doing here? Somehow it felt right to punish him for the way her parents were acting, like if she broke his jaw her parents would be proud of her and love her again. It was a stupid thought, but some go to extreme measures for validation and approval. She vowed to at least hit him once this was done.

She was snapped out of her thought by the Principle tapping the mic softly and saying "Testing, testing. Ok…" Astrid turned her gaze to the principle on the stage below "Welcome students and respected parents. My name is Greggory Hendrick, but most people call me Gobber" a few of the students laughed and the occasional adult. "Most of you would know me as Mr. Hendrick. But anyway, the reason you are all here today is because your children have shown a succinct aptitude in their respective sporting fields. As you all know, the Berk College has just opened up a scholarship for students who are looking at a career in a sporting area. 40 of your faculty have applied, but only three will have the chance to impress Berk's scouts. I know this should be the time when I remind you that even if you do not get this scholarship that should not dissuade you, the three that the faculty have chosen are chosen from their individual brilliance. Nothing more, nothing less. So, without further ado I will call three students and their parents or guardians up to the stage" he glanced at his paper "In no particular order, Steven Jorgenson" She clapped, her boyfriend, who was nicknamed 'Snotlout' for some reason stood up and bowed graciously before jogging down the steps and onto the stage. He shook the principles hand and stood silently behind him, with his father and mother behind him supportively.

"And next we have" he glanced at the paper again, "Astrid Hofferson" a huge weight lifted off of her chest and she turned to face her parents, who were grinning slightly. This scholarship could redeem her bad grades. They all walked slowly down to the stage, Astrid shook the principles hand and muttered a thankyou before standing proudly next to Steve.

"And last but not least, my student, who I have coached since he entered high school" the crowd chortled "Harrison Haddock"

Astrid scanned the crowd and looked or this person, she had never met nor heard of a Harrison Haddock. Then she saw him, walking down the steps from his seat, not accompanied by an adult.

No, the geeky nerd can't be up here for a sporting award, he just can't. Obviously he's just going to the toilet or to get some fresh air, but no, he walked straight onto the stage and shook the principles hand before standing next to me. My mouth was open in shock and indignation.

"And where's your father, Harrison?" the principle asked, taking his mic away from his face and shielding it with a hand so the sound wouldn't carry

"He's not my father" said Harrison, jaw still clenched, how can one keep a solemn expression on their face for so long?

The principle nodded "Is he coming?"

Just as Hiccup was about to answer the door to the gymnasium opened loudly and in walked a squat man.

Somehow Harrison's jaw clenched tighter.

The man was obviously drunk, he stumbled onto the stage "Glad you could join us" said the principle

"Of course I came" the man slurred "I'm the boy's father"

"Not my father" Harrison mumbled

"What did you say to me, boy?" he spat, rounding on Harrison. It felt odd, standing here, next to the boy I wanted to beat the shit out of and suddenly feeling a twinge of pity "Think you could hide this from me, did you? I found that application in your trash can, think I wouldn't be here to celebrate" his words were becoming less audible as he spoke

"You're drunk, Gerry" said Harrison calmly.

The man grabbed Harrison's arm tightly, the boy winced for a millisecond. The entire gymnasium was dead silent, you could hear a pin drop. Astrid could tell this was hurting him, but he wasn't about to let it show. The principle looked very worried

"Gerry, let the boy go" he said, placing a soft hand on the older man's shoulder

"This little shit…" he started, gripping tighter

"Gerry" said the principle more forcefully "We don't want to get security involved, do we?"

The man's shoulders relaxed and his grip on Harrison weakened.

He stumbled off the stage and though the door he came in. The principle cleared his throat. "Well, so there we have it, our three contestants. Steven Jorgenson, Astrid Hofferson, and Harrison Haddock. Thank you for attending"

The crowd slowly dispersed. She looked at Harrison who was holding his arm where his 'not-father' had grabbed him, and that's when it clicked 'Hiccup'. This kid is 'Hiccup' the shy boy who would hand out with her and Freddy in the third grade, how had she forgotten? But the Hiccup she had known had two great parents, who she had met, what was this Gerry guy doing here? Being a childhood friend did not let him off the hook, neither did his drunk 'not-father'. Obviously this was a one-time thing, Gerry probably had forgotten and was drinking on his day off, and then he remembered and came here. Yes, that was it. He was only upset because he was drunk, this probably is the first time this has happened to Hiccup.

She started to remember. It was around grade five when she had stopped hanging out with Hiccup, he was just too dorky. Sure he was nice, but around that time all the other boys started to get taller and more muscular, Hiccup just, didn't. And her popular friends had been calling her out on it, so one day she just ignored him, she hadn't spoken to him in seven years. What right did he have coming back into her life when she was just getting it sorted? And what sport was he apparently good at? The Hiccup she had known was a clumsy loser when they were children.

As far as she knew, he still was. In fact she had complete forgotten about him until she had seen the way he nursed his arm. It was one time at school when Steven had punched Hiccup in the arm, hard, when Hiccup wasn't looking. She was still friends with him at that time, for the next 30 minutes of their lunch break he had stood, solemn and hurt as he clenched his arm.

So, this begs the question, why does he have to come back into her life now? She going great, she's got the quarter-back of the football team as her boyfriend, she's captain of the lacrosse team, and she's nearly up for Valedictorian, she knows she second, behind some random.

Once the crowd had dispersed the principle turned to Hiccup and gave him an once-over "You ok?" he asked

Hiccup forced a grin on his face "Why wouldn't I be, up for a full ride to Berk"

The principle nodded "Your parents would be proud"

He nodded "Thanks Gobber"

The principle turned to use "Well done, you three. You've made it, now, you'll have four months to train before the scouts arrive, so I suggest you use your time wisely"

"Four months" piped up Steven "That's gonna be easy, that's like 6 whole weeks"

While Steven was probably the most attractive guy in the school, he lacked a brain. She could see a grin forming on Hiccups face, another reason to hate him, she could see him judging Steven, even though he didn't know him. Wait, this is Hiccup, of course he knows Steven. It still doesn't allow him to just judge Steven because he isn't smart.

She'll definitely have to fuck this guy up later.

"Is that all?" asked Hiccup

"Yeah" said Gobber "You can go, just remember to train hard and you'll all be fine"

Hiccup waved and walked towards the door. I turned back to my parents "I'll be a sec, I have to go do something" they nodded and I jogged to catch up to Hiccup, who had just walked out of the back door of the gymnasium. The back door lead to a corridor lined with lockers, she recognised this area as the junior students area.

"Hiccup" she called after him, he stopped and turned

A scowl formed on his face as soon as he saw who it was "What?" he snarled

"What the fuck?" she said, closing the steps towards him "Thinking you're so high and mighty, thinking you're better than me" only later did she realise the hypocrisy of these words "Think you can talk to me how you like and insult Steven like you know him"

He raised his hands in surrender as she stormed close "Astrid, what the fu-"he was cut off when she grabbed his hand and yanked it backwards. He let out a gasp of surprise before she spun him and rammed him into the lockers. He slumped to the floor, grasping at his shoulder.

"Oh big tough guy, not talking shit now, are you?" she snarled

"ASTRID!" yelled a voice from behind her. Fuck, it was the principle. "Astrid, what in god's name have you done?"

She opened her mouth to answer but no words found her tongue, instead it was Hiccup that spoke.

"She did nothing" he said

"Then what's wrong with your shoulder?" asked Gobber, Astrid stared open mouthed at Hiccup.

"Nothing, I felt a little light headed and fell, Astrid just came to see if I was alright" said Hiccup, eyes never leaving Astrid's. There was something malevolent in that grin, like she now owed him something.

"Is this true?" asked Gobber

"Ah…yes" she said

"Well, run along then, I'll call an ambulance, looks like his shoulder popped out" only now did she notice the way his right arm sat, his shoulder was pressed against his cheekbone. It was definitely dislocated, she didn't mean for that to happen

"I…ok" she said simply

"Relax" said Gobber "He'll be fine" that was not what she was worried about, if he were to tell anyone, her chances for this scholarship would be demolished "You'll probably see him soon enough anyway"

"Why is that?" she asked as she turned

"No one told you?" he queried, she shook her head "Harrison is your tutor for AP Physics, and Maths. He is set to be Valedictorian after all" That was it, that evil grin he had given her when he told Gobber the lie.

"Oh" was all she could think of "Sounds great" and with that she hurried down the hall, back into the gymnasium, back to her waiting parents.


	2. Chapter 2

So basically Hiccup would have his arm in a sling for 2 weeks. She kind of felt bad for him. Kind of. She still hated him, that snarky fucker that she ignored for 7 years has come back into her life and is causing shit.

She lay awake, dreading the next day of school. She would have to see Hiccup, it was inevitable, now that she thought about it he was in a lot of the same classes she was, plus he would be tutoring her. Her phone vibrated on her bedside table.

She grabbed it, it was a text from Steven _'Hey babe wot r u wearing?'_

She sighed to herself, the guy may have the body of a Greek god but sometimes he got to her.

She decided it was best to ignore it, honestly she didn't know where this relationship with Steven was going. It was almost as though it was expected of her. Jock girl and captain of the football team, they were bound to end up together. But a relationship with Steven was like a relationship with a child, a horny, possessive child. She felt wrong letting him touch her, like his fingers were leaving a trail of mud across her skin. They hadn't actually _done_ anything, just kissing and that one time she punched him in the face for trailing his hand underneath her shirt and cupping her boobs. Suffice to say he hasn't tried it since. She knew he wanted more from her physically, but was it wrong to reject him? Maybe she should just let him, and then he would stop the constant public groping. Sex wasn't a big deal, right? He may have wanted more physically, but she wanted more mentally. It's not like he was particularly stupid, he was a nice guy, he just didn't try. If he did he could be, probably not a straight A student, but passing all his classes.

That made her think, was Steven a nice guy though? Sure, he treated her kind of alright, when they were alone he was nice and caring, in public he seemed to latch onto her and need to be touching her. Like he was afraid she'd leave, or maybe he was trying to convince the school they were having sex.

Maybe she should just break up with him and leave it at that, just end it. It wouldn't be too hard, sure she liked Steven, but it's not like she wouldn't survive without him.

She really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow, she realised she'd been especially hard on Hiccup. It's just, it was her time of the month and her mood was viable to change at the slightest change in the tone of someone's voice, let alone running into a lost childhood friend.

She sighed again, it was best to try and get at least some sleep, she'd have a long day ahead of her, and if Hiccup wasn't too annoying, he might even get something in the form of an apology. That is if he wasn't annoying, and something told her he would be.

She rolled and drifted into an uneasy sleep. All too soon her alarm was blaring, she grumbled and smacked the snooze button. The start of the day was uneventful, thank god she didn't have any classes with Hiccup today; either that or he wasn't at school.

It was with silent trepidation that she approached the library at the school, hoping that Hiccup wouldn't be there, but he was. He was seated at a table, lying with his head resting on his left arm and his right hanging limply in a sling. He looked like he was sleeping, she silently walked forward. Should she wake him? She sat down in the seat next to him and he lifted his head groggily.

There was a large bruise on his jaw that she could have sworn wasn't there the other day, did she do that to him? Wow, he looked like shit.

"Hi" she said, breaking the awkward silence

He continued to look at her "Hi" he rested his head back down on the table, seemingly falling back to sleep

"Hiccup" she said "You do know why I'm here, right?"

He gave her a thumbs up without lifting his head and mumbled "tutoring"

"Am I meant to tutor myself?" she asked, getting annoyed at his antics

He made a dramatic commotion of sitting up straight in his seat "What do you need help with?"

"I don't know, I'm scoring a 91%. Don't really need help"

He scoffed "A 91%, you should be ashamed" the sarcasm was palpable. He rested his head back in his arm.

"Are you gonna help me or what?" he didn't move "Listen I'm sorry about you shoulder, and your jaw, ok. It's just, I'm stressed, ok?"

"That time of the month is it?" he said, still not lifting his head

"Fuck you" she replied

He raised his head "Well, let's just get this over with. And by the way, you didn't give me the bruise on my jaw. You're good, but you're not that good"

"Was it Steven?" she asked

"Ha" he spat "Steven? No"

"So where do we start?" she asked, wanting to get this over with, she had much better things she could do with her time

"Well, your teachers gave me your test results, let's just start where you went wrong"

And so they did, he would run her through the questions she got wrong. And when she didn't understand he would patiently explain to her.

"What about this one?" she asked, pointing to the offending maths question "I was so sure I got it, but I only got half marks for it"

His eyebrows furrowed as he skimmed her working out. He pointed to a line "For some reason, you put f' instead of Sigma. How does one even get those two confused? They look different and they mean completely different things"

"Shut up" she replied. He just shrugged and flipped the page. She wanted to ask, it was her damn hormones during this time of the month, one second she hated everything in the world, and the next she felt like she should be held personally responsible for everything bad that happened to Hiccup "Why don't you hate me?"

He looked up "What?"

"Why don't you hate me?" she asked again, meeting his astoundingly green eyes

"I think I would have, if you'd fucked up one of my legs, but it's just an arm" he said, waving her question off with his uninjured arm

"Why would it have mattered if I wrecked your leg?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her

"You seriously don't know?" he asked, she didn't like to be made out to feel stupid, was the answer something obvious? "You know I'm also up for that scholarship, right?"

"Yeah, I was there, dumbass. I just don't know what for"

He shrugged off her insult "I'm a sprinter"

"That's it? A sprinter, how on earth are you up for a scholarship for running fast?"

"Hey, all you do is throw a ball in between sticks and get it into a net"

"Yeah, but that requires team work, precision, skill and a lot of intuition" she remarked

"What, and running doesn't?" she raised her eyebrows "I mean, I know it doesn't require teamwork or anything, but I still need precision, skill and intuition"

"Intuition, for sprinting?"

"Well, yeah. I need to know my limits" he said simply

"I just don't think there's anything special about running fast" she said, eyes returning to the piece of paper Hiccup handed her, which had the correct answers to her exam questions that she had gotten wrong.

"Do you know how fast I am?" he asked. It wasn't really a boast, more of question of general intrigue.

She scoffed "Hiccup, I remember you from when we were kids, you could barely walk"

He looked somewhat uncomfortable know "Well, not all of us are the same as we were when we were little. Let's just say running helped keep my mind off of…things"

"What things?"

"And now this is too personal" he stated "If you don't mind, I have some light arm exercises to perform so I can get out of this sling faster and back on the track"

"You seem to be in less of a shitty mood today"

He scoffed "Well, I got to come to school"

"Why is that a positive?" she asked

He absent-mindedly rubbed his thumb over the thick bruise on his jaw "Means I don't have to be at home"

Oh. She really didn't think this conversation would end up here, she saw the way he acted around his step-dad, did his step-dad really hit him? She didn't think it was her place to ask.

"Anyway" he said after an awkward silence "I need to go" He turned to leave

"Sorry" she blurted out, he turned and faced her.

"For what? The arm?" he asked

"For…everything"

He smirked and shook his head "Very well done apology, did Shakespeare write that for you?"

"Fuck up and accept the apology, because that's all you're gonna get" she said heatedly

He grinned again "Alas my Juliet, we must part" with a small bow he exited the room.

She tried her hardest not to grin, but it was hard. The corners of her mouth _may_ have tugged slightly upwards, that was all she was willing to admit.

The question that he asked her had plagued her _'Do you know how fast I am?'_

Was he fast? He had to be, to be up for a scholarship. Or maybe it was all the principles doing? Everyone knew that Gobber had a soft spot for Hiccup. He and Hiccups father were childhood friends or something. Where was Hiccup's father?

She didn't really have time to ponder. Steven had chosen that moment to enter the library for some unknown reason.

"Hey babe, been looking everywhere for you" he said

"Just been here, studying"

"Why read words when you can just do the stuff the words tell you about?"

She guessed it was his attempt at being profound and insightful. It really just made him sound like an idiot. She sighed

"What's wrong?" he asked

"It's just…this scholarship" she said, racking her brain to find something

"Don't think I'll be letting up because you're my girlfriend, that scholarship is as good as mine"

"Sure" she scoffed "Keep telling yourself that Jorgenson"

"What, not like I have much competition" he said

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that" she said, gathering up her books

"Come one babe. I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Hiccup. How did that dweeb even get into the final three?"

"Apparently he's a sprinter" she said

Steven raised his eyebrows "A sprinter" he laughed "Good one, next thing you know, you'll be saying that people have walked on the moon" she sighed heavily once again

"I'm really busy Steven. I've got tons of work to do, so I'm gonna head home. I'll catch you later" she left him there, standing in the library with a stupid grin on his face.

Maybe it would be better if she just broke it off.

His question still danced in her mind, and it made her increasingly curious, how fast actually was Hiccup?

She wasn't sure why, but her feet lead her to Gobber's office. The receptionist eyed her suspiciously as she approached the desk

"Yes?" she asked politely

"Just wondering if I could have a word with Gobber, I mean Principle Hendrick"

"Let me just give him a call and see if he's busy" she dialled a number into the phone situated next to her computer. "There is a young lady who wants a word" she said "Ok…sure…have a good day" she hung up

"He's with someone, but he said to send you in anyway"

She nodded and walked towards the Principles office. She hadn't been here often, but she knew the route. Down the hall to the left and it's the final door on the right. She stopped at the door, she could hear hushed voices inside.

"How does that feel?" said a man, she guessed it was the principle

"I don't know, it feels kind of better" she recognised that voice

"Here, put this on your face" she heard Gobber say

"Thanks" came the reply

"Was it Gerry again?"

There was no reply this time

"Hiccup, you can't let him do this…" Gobber started

"What do you want me to do? Call the cops? No, it would just get Stoick involved, and I don't want that. Besides, if Gerry is charged with anything then I'm gone"

"That's not true, we could find you another foster family…"

"And what if this time they're worse than Gerry. Gerry might hit me on occasion, but I've seen some of the other kids, I'm lucky. I don't want to get the cops involved. They'll just send me to Stoick. And I don't want that, I don't want to live my life out in some jungle in Africa with him. But if I can put up with Gerry for a few lousy months and get that scholarship, I'm free"

She felt like she shouldn't be eavesdropping. She decided to back out.

The receptionist eyed her as she slowly walked backwards into the main lobby

Her eyebrows were raised in a silent question "I can come back later" she said "I wouldn't want to disturb him"


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the long time in between updates. University has been getting really hectic. This chapter will be the first from Hiccup's POV.**

 **Anyway, read and enjoy. Reviews are always welcome**

* * *

He stirred awake, trying to block the sunlight that was pouring into his small bedroom.

 _Why is it so bright? I could have sworn that I shut the curtains last night_

He opened his eyes a fraction. The curtain was open all the way, he squinted at it, and then at his small alarm clock which read 7:45 am

"I'm late" he said, jolting out of bed. He rushed around, picking up everything he would need throughout the day, today was the day, he no longer needed that stupid sling, he could run. _Joy_ he thought to himself sarcastically.

He looked at a prone black figure. Watching him intently from the foot of his bed.

He bent down "Thanks for opening the curtains Toothless. Did you know I was going to miss my alarm?"

The panther seemed to nod. Yes, a panther. Toothless was a sleek, Black Panther.

Basically, when Hiccup was a freshman, just starting high school; his parents decided to take him on a trip to Africa. And some stuff happened, and directly because of that trip Hiccup is now where he is today, stuck in an abusive relationship. At least until he gets that scholarship and he's out of here, as far away as he can go.

But anyway, he now was the owner of a panther. To an outsider it would seem extremely dangerous, but to Hiccup, just…no. Hiccup had had Toothless ever since he was a cub, in the trip to Africa he had found him, alone, abandoned by his family because Toothless appeared to be the runt of the litter. Hiccup could relate. He had taken Toothless back to his parents camp and coerced his parents to let him keep the baby cub.

His father was less than pleased with the new addition, but his mother couldn't have been happier. She thought it would be good for Hiccup to have someone, he never did seem to have many friends. But late that night Valka Haddock disappeared, to this day no one knows what happened. His parents had separate tents, and when they went to check on his mother in the morning she was gone. Her sleeping bag had a small amount of blood smeared over it, accompanied by a long claw and a tuft of black fur. Stoick had sent Hiccup home the next day. They tested the fur and claws, it was from a panther, likely the mother of Toothless looking for her son. Hiccup lost both parents that day, for in six years, he had neither seen his mother, nor his father. Stoick had never come home.

So here he is now, trying, and failing to get his hair to sit down, while his father searches for his mother in another random African safari. They had never even found a trace of her.

Gerry didn't know about Toothless, in fact Toothless rarely came into the house. But last night Gerry was working night and morning shifts on some construction sight. He wouldn't be home until around lunchtime, so Hiccup had brought Toothless to the house instead of leaving him to sleep in the small wooded area just behind their small house.

Hiccup gazed into the mirror, tracing the outline of the bruise on his jaw.

Gerry had not been happy when Hiccup had dislocated his shoulder

" _How are you supposed to run now?" he asked as soon as they left the hospital. Inside he had played the caring father role to a T._

" _I'm sorry, Gerry. It was an accident" Hiccup turned to face him and was met with a fist. Gerry had landed a solid hook to Hiccup's jaw._

" _Do you know how much this is gonna cost?!" he bellowed. "Your little 'accident' is going to set me back $500 dollars" Hiccup had not fallen, after years with Gerry he knew how to take a hit._

" _Gerry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again" he said_

" _You're damn right. Get into the car"_

 _The car ride was completely silent. Gerry had dropped Hiccup off at the house and told him he better not be at home when he got back._

 _Gerry did this regularly, he kicked Hiccup out for a night or two when Hiccup did something particularly stupid, sometimes for no reason at all._

 _Hiccup packed his things he'd need for school tomorrow and a change of clothes._

 _He grabbed his phone and rang his only friend, Frank, or 'Fishlegs'._

" _Hey" answered Frank_

" _Hey" said Hiccup_

" _What's up?" asked Frank_

" _Gerry kicked me out again, can I stay at yours?" Hiccup asked_

" _Sure man"_

 _This was the norm, Fishlegs had always welcomed Hiccup over. His mother would fuss over Hiccup, making him eat second servings of dinner because she thought he was too thin._

 _It was like having a family again, Fishlegs and his family were basically the only real family Hiccup had left._

He rolled his arm, testing his shoulder, nothing, no twinge of pain. He grimaced, back to running it is.

School was the same monotonous bullshit. Sit in class, eat lunch with Frank, and tutor Astrid after school. But now, now he had to add running back to the list, he had lost two weeks because of his stupid arm. He hoped it wouldn't slow him down too much.

"You can barely see it anymore" said Astrid after their tutoring session finished.

"See what?" he asked, turning to face her

"The bruise, on your jaw" she said, pointing at it

"Oh, thanks?" he really didn't know how to respond. This was followed by an awkward silence as they walked towards the track field. "So…" said Hiccup, trying to break the silence "Lacrosse training again?"

She brushed her hair over her ear, _Damn, she looks cute when she does that_. _Stop it! This is Astrid, you know, the chick who dislocated your shoulder. Yeah but she's been nice for like a week straight, and she's not all that bad now that I've gotten to know her a little bit._ Hiccup finished his little internal debate

"Yeah" they were nearing the field "You running today?" she asked

He grimaced "Yeah"

"What's wrong?" she asked, stopping him by gently grabbing his arm

"It's just – " he couldn't tell her why, she wouldn't understand, so the easiest option was to lie "I just don't think I'll be fast anymore, I mean, how much speed have I lost?"

She looked somewhat guilty "I'm really so-"

"Astrid" he cut her off "If you apologise again I will no longer tutor you" She opened her mouth to protest "Seriously, you apologising just doesn't suit you"

She punched him in the arm "Asshole, just accept the apology"

"That's more like it, and I thought we went over this, no hard feelings"

She punched him again "That was for basically telling me to shut up"

"And the real Astrid Hofferson returns"

She grinned at him. _Why does she have to be so damn hot, and nice, and smart, and athletic?_ _Couldn't a middle aged woman with warts have dislocated my shoulder?_

"And you'll be fine, you don't just lose speed in two weeks. Plus…" she added "I'll be watching, that will give you incentive to run fast"

"Why would that give me incentive" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, _does she know I like her? That I have liked her since elementary school?_

"Because…" she said "If you don't run fast, I'll punch you again, and this time I won't hold back"

"You're scary, you know that right?" he said

She grinned evilly "I try"

They had reached the track, Astrid accompanied him over to where Gobber was waiting for him.

"Hiccup" he yelled "And Miss Hofferson. What are you doing here?" Gobber asked as they reached him.

"Just gonna watch" she said nonchalantly

"Don't you have lacrosse practise?" Gobber asked, with raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, but not for another hour" she said, shrugging

"Alright, well if you're already here wanna help out?" he asked

"Help out?" she returned

"Yeah, like right down Hiccup's times for me, or time him, whichever one"

She looked at Hiccup "I don't mind, you can stay if you want" part of him wanted her to stay to see him run. Maybe he could impress her? The other part wanted her to go in case he fucked up and fell or ran a really slow time.

"Ah, sure, I can help. I've got some time" she said

 _Ok, don't fuck this up Hiccup_.

"Good, the acceleration gates are still in the storeroom, I'll be right back" he said, leaving the two teens by the starting line

"Acceleration gates?" she looked at him expectantly

"Oh, the infamous athlete Astrid Hofferson doesn't know what acceleration gates are?"

She punched him "Shut up"

"They are just little poles that we use to time me" he tried to explain

She raised an eyebrow "Little poles? That's the best explanation you can give?"

He sighed "Well, that's what they are, you'll see"

Gobber came back not a minute later and he, Hiccup and Astrid set up the acceleration gates.

"Two go at the starting line" said Hiccup "I'm going to put two at the 10 metre line, and Gobber will put the last two at the finish line"

"Why do you have one at the ten metre?" she asked

"To see how fast I can get to my max speed. It helps with training and stuff"

"Oh, I guess that makes sense"

"Yeah" he pointed to one of the two set up at the starting line "That one shoots out a laser and the other one receives it. So when I run through it and disrupt the laser it marks the time I went through, and it's synced up with the other gates so it records all my times. It sends them to a little stopwatch thing with my times"

"Alright, I think I get it" she said

"Enough of lazing about" interrupted Gobber "You…" he pointed at Hiccup "Have stretching to do. And you…" he pointed at Astrid "Come with me to the finish line and I'll show you how the times work"

Hiccup watched her leave and started to stretch. All he was doing was some static stretching to loosen his muscles, he'd do some dynamic stretching later as a warm down. He wasn't sure how he'd go, he just hoped he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself. _Why does Astrid have to watch again?_

After a minute the lights on the gates went green, that signalled they were ready. Gobber shouted at Hiccup and gave him the thumbs up, which Hiccup knew that that meant he was able to start. He walked his way over to the starting line, careful not to go too far out and trip the gate. He took off his shirt, he had a sleek black singlet on underneath, and threw it over where his school shoes were sitting. He had put his running shoes on before stretching.

He set himself into the blocks, _Alright, take it easy on this one, under 11 and if all goes well I'll push it._

He took a deep breathe, in, out, in out. He would do this before every run, it helped to calm his nerves. He raised his head and looked at the finish line, he could do this.

In an instant he took off, the first step felt heavy, almost as if he was going to trip, but the next came smoothly. He loved the way he felt when he ran, there was nothing else, nothing but the pounding of his feet on the ground, the wind in his face, the power he felt in his legs. Even though he loved running, he resented it.

He didn't push it too much, he'd been off for two weeks, within two strides he had hit the 10 metre gate and soon after he had sped across the 100 metre line.

He slowed down afterwards and turned to head back to the 100 m line to see what his time was.

Astrid was staring open mouthed at him, which he found curious.

"How did I go?" he asked

Gobber smiled "Told you not too push it Hiccup"

"What" Hiccup replied "I wasn't, not really"

Gobber raised his eyebrow "Really?" Hiccup nodded

"See, I'm not even out of breathe"

"Where's your shirt?" Astrid interrupted

Hiccup turned to her "Oh, it's at the starting line, easier to run in a singlet than in a t-shirt"

She averted her eyes, focussing intently on the clipboard she held in her hands

"So…" Hiccup prompted

Astrid looked up "What?"

"How did I do?"

"Oh, yeah. Um. You were 1.8 seconds out of the first 10 metres, and you finished at 10.6"

Hiccup smiled "Really? That's like, how fast I am when I'm trying"

"Well" said Gobber "Go again and see if you can beat it, don't hold back this time"

Hiccup nodded and walked to the starting line once more, flicking his legs a few times so he wouldn't cramp later.

Again, he set himself on the blocks. He looked up at the finish line.

 _Alright Harrison, you've got this. You ran 10.6 and you weren't trying._ _You can do this_

Every nerve in his body seemed to be alive with excitement. He felt truly alive, the adrenaline coursed through his veins, his breathing steadied but his heart rate sky rocketed, he was ready to go.

The lights on the gate flashed green. He took off, he pumped his legs and arms as hard and as fast as they would go, he had never run this fast in his life, his footfalls weren't heavy; he was as light as a feather, skipping across the ground with ease. All too soon it was over and he passed the finish line in a blur.

He slowed down, this time it took an extra 10 metres to stop. When he returned to Astrid and Gobber he saw a slack mouthed Gobber, staring at him with wonder.

"What?" he asked, looking over himself, was his hair windswept or something

"You…" Astrid began but stopped

"I what?" Hiccup questioned

"You're fast" she said, he raised his eyebrows "You ran 1.6 out of the 10 metres and 9.8 out of the 100"

Hiccup grinned "Really" he was jumping up and down "9.8, that's the fastest I've ever gone. I knew that time felt quick, but I didn't think it was that quick"

"Are you saying you can push yourself harder?" said Gobber excitedly

"Probably not, I mean, I gave it my all that time. I just meant that it felt normal, not overly fast"

"Nevertheless" said Gobber "That is the best time this school has ever seen. I think you deserve and early break. We usually go longer, but you've only just got back and I wouldn't want you hurting yourself" said Gobber.

"Yeah…yeah" said Hiccup distractedly

"Go warm down, Miss Hofferson I believe you have lacrosse training"

She looked distracted for some reason. But she nodded and ran off

Gobber nudged him with his elbow

"What?" said Hiccup

"Maybe she should come more often, I think she gave you a little extra incentive if you know what I mean?"

Hiccup coughed "I-It's not like that" he said quickly

"Sure" said Gobber with a wink "Of course it isn't"

Hiccup warmed down and decided to watch Astrid's lacrosse practise, he really didn't want to go home. When she finished she was red faced and sweating

She began to walk to the showers. Hiccup went over and met her "Nice job" he commended

She jumped "Hiccup" she punched him "Don't sneak up on me like that"

"I wasn't sneaking" he protested, he made a cross over his heart "I swear it, to the old gods, and the new"

"You should stop watching Game of Thrones"

"Wait…" Hiccup was taken aback "You got that reference?"

"Of course I did" she said "Am I not allowed to watch Game of Thrones or something?"

"No, no, I was just…surprised" he amended, not wanting to cop another punch.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked

"Just hanging out, you got to watch me run, so I watched you play lacrosse" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously "It's only fair"

She scoffed, and she looked somewhat disheartened. And then Steven showed up

"What are you doing here, runt?" Steven snarled, advancing on Hiccup

"Just leaving" he said "I'll see you tomorrow Astrid" and with that he walked away. He really wasn't in the mood for Steven's shit. He walked towards the car park and sat down at the bus stop. The bus stop was just next to the car park, Gerry would never come pick him up, so it was either bus or walk. Right now he didn't feel like walking. But he was never one to sit still. He paced back and forth, his adrenaline still high from his 9.8 run. That was fast, the fastest he'd ever gone, but it didn't feel fast.

He looked up when he heard a girls voice "Fuck off Steven" it was Astrid

"Come on babe, my parents aren't home. We can have some 'alone' time" said Steven slyly

Astrid made a gagging motion "You know what? I've had enough, I've had enough of your perverted fucking groping, even in public, is it impossible to keep your dirty fucking hands to yourself, we're through"

Steven looked shocked "Babe" he tried to grab her arm, but she shrugged out of his grip

"I am not your babe, we are done" she said, storming off, towards the street that ran past the school. She didn't see it

Hiccup saw it though, a four-wheel drive full of college kids skidded around the corner. Astrid wasn't watching, Astrid was too caught up in her fury to notice.

Hiccup didn't waste a second, he shrugged his backpack off and ran, his feet pounded the pavement, his vision blurred from the wind.

"Astrid!" he yelled, she turned to face him and smiled, but seeing the look on his face her smile fell, the truck had just rounded the bend and was hurtling towards Astrid, it looked like the driver was texting, the truck was only 20 metres away.

Hiccup's legs burned but he pushed himself, and in four strides he had reached her, he dived as a rugby player would when scoring a try and tackled her out of the way. He managed to get her out of harm's way. He, however, was not as lucky. The truck collided with his bottom half, the headlight hitting his hip and the front of the truck hitting his outstretched legs. The front half of his body avoided the impact because of the way he dived. The truck skidded to a stop. Hiccup was flung five metres onto the footpath.

His world was a world of pain and flashing lights, nothing existed expect the pain in his legs and a voice, it was a girls voice, she was screaming "HICCUP!"

 _That's weird, who's screaming?_ As he started to black out a single thought passed through his mind _that is the fastest I've ever run_. And he was gone, lost in unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Pain.

Lots of pain.

Hiccup blearily opened his eyes. _Where am I?_

His foot itched like crazy, but he couldn't move. His body was stiff and didn't seem willing to obey his commands. He managed to raise his head a tiny bit. He was in a hospital room.

 _NO, no, no, Gerry is going to be pissed_.

He looked at what he was wearing, he didn't remember putting a hospital robe on, they must have changed him. That must have been embarrassing, luckily he was unconscious for that.

He looked around his room, he was alone. A solitary chair was seated next to his bed, vacant. A small remote device was lying just next to his head. It had a single red button and a label above it that read 'Press for assistance'

Hiccup groggily lifted his arm, which weighed heavier than he remembered and pressed the small red button. It glowed for half a second before dulling.

He set the remote back down. His knee hurt, his left knee. And his foot was itching so badly. He couldn't stand it, it would drive him insane. But his back and neck didn't seem to want to allow him to sit up just yet. His arm had been hard to move, sitting up would probably be a great deal harder than that.

 _I just hope I'll be well enough in time for the scholarship_. The pain seemed to intensify the longer he waited, it'd been 30 seconds since he pressed the button. Pain started to flair in his hip, again, on the left side.

 _What happened_ and with stunning clarity and swiftness the memories came flooding back, a truck, running, him diving, the car hitting him.

The door to his small room opened and in walked in an old, slim man. Well, Hiccup guessed that he was old. His hair was beginning to recede and show faint tinges of grey. He wore wiry glasses which were attached to a small band that hung around his neck. He wore a white robe and a stethoscope was looped around his neck. _Do all doctors wear stethoscopes around their neck, is it a universal norm for doctors? Is it a requirement?_

"Mr Haddock" he said "You're awake" Hiccup just stared at him "How do you feel?"

"Sore" Hiccup provided. His hip really was killing him, and that damn foot, so fucking itchy.

The doctor glanced down at a small clipboard at the end of Hiccup's bed. "Ah" he said "Sorry" he walked over to next to Hiccup's head. Hiccup could see an ECG and a drip, next to it was a bulky looking machine with a small screen and a few buttons. The doctor pressed some buttons and Hiccup felt relief immediately. "You were a few minutes late for your painkillers"

Hiccup sighed "Thankyou, Dr…..?"

"Dr Manning" he supplied "You've been through quite the ordeal Mr. Haddock"

"Just Hiccup is fine"

"Hiccup? But it says here your name is Harrison"

"Yeah, I just prefer Hiccup"

The doctor shrugged "Well…Hiccup. That was a brave thing you did"

He didn't know how to respond so he just nodded. The itching in his leg was still present.

"Hey, you fixed the pain, but is there anything you can do about this damn itching in for foot?" Hiccup pleaded

"Which foot?" asked Dr Manning, frowning slightly

"My left one"

"Hiccup, I need to show you something" He grabbed a remote that was on the bedside table beside Hiccup. He pressed a button and Hiccups bed started to move. The top half started to raise, adjusting Hiccup into a seated position. He elevated it slightly so Hiccup could see.

Hiccup gulped "Where is my foot?" he asked, it was a strange feeling. Relief, mixed with dread, mixed with fear, mixed with regret, and just a tinge of happiness.

"That's the thing Hiccup, during the accident…it…your foot, we couldn't save it. It was damaged, beyond repair" he said, smiling sadly at Hiccup

Hiccup just nodded, staring absently at his foot. He couldn't believe it. His mind couldn't comprehend that his foot is just gone.

"A nurse will be in here soon to bring you some food and water. You're probably very thirsty"

Hiccup only now noticed the dryness of his throat "Yeah" was all he could manage. The doctor began to walk out but Hiccup stopped him "What other…wounds…injuries, do I have?" he asked

"You…uh" he glanced at the clipboard again "You dislocated your hip, other than that it's just some light bruising and scraping. Well…you understand what I mean"

Hiccup nodded "So what now?" he asked

The doctor walked back to his bed and sat in the chair "Well…you're going to need a prosthetic. You'll have to go through months of physical rehab. You are going to have to stay here for at least another week so we can assess the damage, and keep your leg in check. Your father dropped by too"

Hiccup's face fell, _shit Gerry was here?_ "A big man, Stoick, I think he said his name was"

"What?" Hiccup blurted. The doctor seemed taken aback "I mean, Stoick is here?"

The doctor was confused "Of course, him and that young blonde, they've visited quite a lot"

 _Astrid, oh shit, was she okay?_ "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, a bit shaken up. But she's fine"

Hiccup just nodded. "Thanks, I guess" he said

"If you want, I could call them, tell them you're awake"

"I…uh" how could he put this? How could he convey that he didn't want to see his father? The father that had abandoned him, the father he had not seen in seven years, the father with whom the only contact Hiccup has had have been via post cards.

"I'll tell them you're not ready for visitors"

"One more thing" Hiccup said "how long have I been out?"

"Two weeks" the doctor said immediately.

Again, Hiccup nodded. "The nurse will be here soon with the food, and afterwards she'll give you something to help you sleep, rest is crucial at this stage. Goodbye, Mr. Haddock"

"Bye" said Hiccup.

Not long after the nurse sauntered into the room. She was old and looked extremely cranky. She set the food down on a little stand that hovered over his bed and said "When you're ready, press this button" she pointed to a small button that was on the remote the doctor had used to change the position of Hiccup's bed "It'll give you your next dose"

With that she left. Hiccup slurped down the water and the soup, and tried a few bites of the bread. It was gross, hospital food always is. He decided that now would be a good a time as any to have a nap.

Before he lost consciousness he remembered, my leg is gone, no more running. And with that, he fell into a comfortable sleep, a smile playing on his lips.

Two goddamn weeks, that's how long he'd been asleep. She couldn't concentrate. Not when she knew Hiccup could very well be fighting for his life right now. Ok, fighting for his life might be a bit strong, but he had lost a leg. A FUCKING LEG, and he was a sprinter.

She remembered when he had told her 'I think I would have, if you'd fucked up one of my legs'

It was all her fault. Hiccup was lying in a hospital bed, without a leg, he'll probably never run again.

If only she hadn't been so mad at Steven, if only she had looked, Hiccup needn't have gone through any of this. But he had, and there was no way to change the past. But that didn't stop the surge of guilt she felt.

She was seated in the cafeteria next to Ruff and Tuff. Only god knows why their parents named them that.

"When is your boyfriend waking up?" asked Ruff

"Shut up" sneered Astrid "He's not my boyfriend" she declared, just a boy with incredibly tight abs and long arms. HOLY FUCK, stop, he's passed out. She didn't have times to think about attraction. That was it, wasn't it? Yes, she just thought Hiccup was _okay_ to look at, nothing more. She definitely wasn't thinking about the two weeks of studying they did where they would quip and trade insults in a steady stream. She didn't need to think about how she felt good, how she felt normal around Hiccup. No, those were dangerous thoughts. Shit, did she like Hiccup? No, it was physical attraction, that's it. Does the fact that he saved her life influence this? Probably.

"Well sorry" said Ruff sarcastically, her tone indicated that she did not, in fact, feel sorry. "Your fuck buddy then?"

"Oh my god, stop" Astrid exclaimed while Ruff roared with laughter "Hiccup and I are not together, he is my tutor, nothing else"

"You sure?" asked Ruff

"I'm 100% positive" she claimed. Ruff looked at her expectantly "look…the guy saved my life, so I guess I'm grateful, that's it"

"But you're biting your lip" said Ruff "You do that when you're concentrating on something, talking about hot guys, or when you're horny"

Astrid glared at Ruff "Do you want to keep your tongue?"

"Yeah, you'd probably pretend it was Hiccup's and do all sorts of crazy things"

"Oh, gross" said Astrid, envisioning said scene. "What do I have to do to convince you that he and I aren't a thing?"

"Bang Eret" said Ruff

"Who?" asked Astrid

"The guy that ran Hiccup over, he's a college student, and he's adorable"

Astrid stared, slack jawed at Ruffnut "You want me to what?" she said, louder than she expected

"Oh yeah, that's right, you're a prude. Then you have to let him eat you out. I hear he's good at it"

"I'm leaving" she said, standing up and storming out.

Being a virgin didn't mean she was a prude, was it too much to wait for the right guy? What if she fucked Hiccup? Oh god, no. Don't think about that.

She decided to skip the rest of the classes for the day and train. By the end of the school day her body was exhausted and thoughts of Hiccup had exited her mind. At least until there was an announcement over the PA system

"Astrid Hofferson, please come to the Administration office. Astrid Hofferson, to the Administration office, thankyou"

She wondered what she had done wrong this time.

When she got there she saw a figure that she recognised as Hiccup's father, Stoick.

"Stoick?" she said in confusion as she approached the desk "What are you doing here?"

"He's awake" he said excitedly "He's awake, come on. I've talked to your parents, they're fine with you coming with me to the hospital"

"What?" she said numbly

"Astrid, he's up, he's awake, and the doctor says he's fine"

 _You're damn right he's fine_ , stop that. Teenage hormones did not agree with Astrid. She shrugged on her backpack "Then what are we waiting for?"

The two of them rushed out of the school into Stoick's waiting car.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mr Haddock" a voice floated in from the doorway

Hiccup groggily looked to see who it was. He woke up yesterday but his body still felt sluggish and heavy. Apparently that was normal, as was the significant amount of weight he had lost.

"Uh…yeah?" he responded, turning to face the disembodied voice. It turned out to be his doctor, Dr Manning.

"You have visitors" he said

"Who?" asked Hiccup, his voice notably apprehensive.

"Miss Astrid Hofferson and Mr Stoick Haddock"

 _Shit, Stoick is here? This can't be good_ "I would like to speak with Astrid first. Just send her in, tell Stoick to wait. I'll get Astrid to fetch him when I'm done talking to her"

Dr Manning nodded "Of course, I'll send her in" he said as he backed away from the door.

A few moments later Astrid's silhouette appeared in the doorway.

She tentatively stepped into the room "Hey" she said, offering a small wave

"Hey" replied Hiccup. After a few seconds of awkward silence Hiccup spoke again "Guess you'll be top of the grade this year, huh?" he said jokingly

"That's not funny" deadpanned Astrid

"It's a little funny"

"Hiccup, seriously. Not now. Now is really not the time for your lame ass jokes" she sounded somewhat annoyed

Hiccup clenched his heart dramatically "You wound me so, my jokes are not lame. They are of the highest calibre" he put on a posh English accent. Astrid's mouth stayed paper thin, not even the hint of a smile "Alright" he sighed "You've obviously got something you need to say, so say it"

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT" she roared "You run into fucking traffic to push me out of the way" a solitary tear streaked down her face "Now your leg is gone and it's my fault, why did you do it? Why?" she screamed. She quickly wiped the offending tear and slumped into the chair beside his bed

"I…" he choked out "I didn't want you to get hurt" he supplied lamely

"But you could have died Hiccup. Don't you get that? Don't you get how close I was to losing you?" she wiped at her face as another tear fell.

"To be honest that was the last thing on my mind" at her incredulous look he continued "About death, I mean. I didn't think it would come to that, I really wasn't thinking anything. All I knew is that you were in trouble and if I didn't act, then I would lose you" he dropped his head "And I didn't want to lose you"

"Lose me?" she said

"You're important to me, Astrid" he said, waving his arms empathetically

"Important?" she gulped "You almost died, because I'm important?" she recounted

"Well, I mean, almost died is a bit of a stretch. But yes, you are important to me" Hiccup tried to make his voice sound as sincere as possible. He wanted her to understand

"I almost lost you" she repeated herself, sounding weaker than before. She raised her head and stared levelly into his eyes "How am I important? We barely know each other, and you risk your life to save me? We've known each other for like two weeks"

He sighed "I just. I don't know how to say it without sounding like a complete loser"

"To me you are a loser, so spit it out" she prompted

He scoffed "Thanks. I've never really met someone who can keep up" he said

"Keep up?"

"It's…I just" he sighed "Alright, here goes. You are basically one of the only friends I've ever had" she looked struck for a second, and Hiccup decided it was best to continue "I mean, I had Fishlegs for when things got bad at home. But he's Fishlegs, we have a lot in common. But even in the way of sarcasm he can't keep up. I can't even really talk about normal things with Fishlegs. But I can with you. The two weeks I spent tutoring were, if I'm completely honest, great. And I felt like I was getting close to you. Like we were becoming real friends. Not just two individuals who can keep up a stream of constant sarcasm" he paused "And, this is going to sound really emo. And I hate that it is going to sound that way, I fucking hate self-pity. But I've lost everything. I've lost everyone I ever cared about. I lost my mother…" he didn't even realise that he had started crying "I lost my father, I lost all my friends" he sobbed "And you know. How can you not? You know that Gerry hits me. It's not like he does it often, if I mess up he'll do it. I have nothing, and then you came along, and you were nice, and I could talk to you. I just didn't want to lose you too" He paused and steadied his breathing

"Hiccup I…" he started "I don't know what to say. I feel guilty, okay? You are a sprinter, and because of me, you lost your leg"

He scoffed "Honestly…" this is it, he could tell her. He could tell her why he didn't want to run, why he was actually somewhat happy that he lost his leg. He sighed again "Honestly I'm glad I lost it" the look on her face was one of pure horror "Running was never my idea" he continued. A bitter smile crept onto his face "Gerry was a runner, you know? Then in college he threw his knee out in some big race. I never wanted to run, but Gerry wanted me to run. And what Gerry wants, Gerry gets. I and two choices, run – and run well – or not run, and possibly end up in an early grave. You see, running was always a punishment, a metaphorical axe hanging over my head. I ran because I was scared, not because I wanted to. I ran because I had to. And now" a real smile appeared on his face "Now I have a way out. Now I have an excuse. The doctor's" he gestured towards the hallway "They've seen the scars, they've seen the unhealed fractures, they know. So Gerry can't hold this over me, not anymore" he paused, contemplating his next words "I'm a coward. I didn't want to stop running on my own, because I didn't know what would happen if I did. But this…" he gestured at his missing foot "This gives me a way out, an excuse. A life free of running, no more threats, no more Gerry. It's like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders. I don't have to run anymore. Astrid, you see my leg as something horrible, a terrible accident. But I see it as a way out. And I can't thank you enough, you basically freed me. I don't have to be afraid anymore" he finished

She stayed silent for a long time "I didn't know you felt that way" she looked grim

"Hey" he said soothingly "Looks like that scholarship is all yours" he joked

She gave him the coldest stare she could muster "Not funny" she said through gritted teeth

"Oh come on, I thought we already established that I don't exactly mind losing my foot"

"You still lost it, Harrison. It's gone, it's not coming back"

He nodded solemnly "I know, and I've come to terms with that. I guess I'm just used to things leaving"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think…" she tried to apologize but he waved her off

"It's fine. Just know that I don't blame you. If I had to do it again, I would. Now I believe Stoick is here. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to him, alone"

"Yeah…yeah" she said distractedly "I'll swing by tomorrow, Harrison" she called over her shoulder as she swung her backpack on and exited the room

He nodded "I await with baited breath"

A few seconds later Stoick appeared. Hiccup's jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth might shatter.

He gave a curt nod "Stoick"

"Harrison" Stoick replied "I'm so sorry, for, for everything"

"I don't give a shit" Hiccup seethed "I only need two things from you. I need you to put me back in your custody, I'm not going back to foster care, and I need a place to stay"

Stoick nodded vigorously "Of course, anything you want" he said hurriedly

"I'll also be bringing by Toothless, the panther I brought back from Africa" he wasn't all too worried about Toothless. The woodlands behind Gerry's house expand a fair way. There's enough game in there for Toothless to survive for years.

"Yes…Toothless…yes I remember. I have a small house. I've returned to the States, Harrison, for good. I'm not going anywhere" he said

Hiccup nodded, his jaw still clenched. He wanted to scream at his father, but he needed to keep his rage in check "Okay"

"I want to fix this, Harrison" he gestured between them "I want to fix us, just tell me, tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it"

"I don't know if _we_ can be fixed. It might happen, but it's not going to happen anytime soon, Stoick. I can guarantee that"

"I understand" he spoke quickly "You need time"

He sighed, his father was trying. Shouldn't Harrison try too? Was it good to keep all this pent up rage? He decided then and there that he would get a punching bag in the near future, because he really wanted to hit something "Thank you, Stoick. Now, I need some rest, so if you'll excuse me"

"Of course, whatever you need" Stoick said, standing abruptly from his seat. "Just get Dr Manning to call if you need anything"

Hiccup nodded

"Well…Goodbye then" said Stoick

"Goodbye"

The large man shuffled out of the room. Hiccup suddenly felt oddly glad that he lost his leg. He still had Astrid, Gerry was gone, and his father had come home. Maybe things were finally looking up.


End file.
